As a collector of “all-things-airplanes” I’m always looking at the mechanics and logistics of how a group of aviation professionals launch aircraft in the air and reel them back in when ready to settle back to earth.
Among these professionals are many talented men and women working in precision in the airport towers to make it all happen.
Below is my collection of some of the places where these air controllers work.
During the summer of 1997 I was in Paris on one of my usual trips to Europe. I recall that the streets were relatively empty since many French were on vacation as is customary during August. I was able to enjoy some sightseeing without undue crowds.
I was getting ready to wrap up my meetings in France and head to England for further business when news broke that Princess Diana had been killed in an automobile accident in a Parisian highway tunnel. The tragic news of her death filled the French television and radio stations, the newspapers, the personal conversations.
Two days later I arrived in London. No one was discussing anything but the death of Princess Di. All of London was preoccupied with public grieving, paying tribute to their royalty and preparing for an upcoming funeral.
I walked around the city, specifically near Kensington Palace which was Princess Diana’s residence. Thousands upon thousands of mourners were flocking to Kensington Palace and Kensington Gardens to lay flowers and pay their respects to the Princess and her family. As you can tell from the following photographs, there were flowers everywhere. I was told that flowers were in short supply and the local florists had to import additional flowers from the Netherlands and other nearby countries.
Here are some of the photographs that I took during the days before her September 6th funeral.
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Although this was such a tragic event, the worldwide response of the public, especially those who trekked to London was heartwarming.
For a very recent article about her death 25 year ago click here.
For those who may want more information about Princess Diana please click here.
Written by: Arnie Lee
Northern Arizona is part of the Navajo Nation.
I’ve been lucky enough to visit and photograph the immensely scenic Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. This iconic area is located on the Arizona-Utah so we stay overnight in the nearby town of Kayenta. Next door to the hotel is a Burger King restaurant where we can catch breakfast before going to the park.
But this Burger King is unlike any other that we’ve been to. Inside is an extensive display – a mini-museum if you will – of the Code Talkers. The Code Talkers were U.S. servicemen recruited from among the Native Americans (mostly Navajo) during World War II. Some 500 of these Navajo speakers used their language skills to code and transmit secret messages among the various military units. Dozens of volunteers were from the Kayenta area.
I’ve visited this Burger King multiple times over the years and each time the display has been enlarged and enhanced.
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It’s believed that our enemies were never able to decode any of the Code Talker messages.
The Burger King in Kayenta is a great place to stop to learn about these brave men who served and fought during World War II and the Korean War.